1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the use of monocarboxylic acid polyoxyalkyl ester sulfonates as low-foam wetting agents in aqueous alkaline conditioning compositions for textile fabrics.
2. Statement of Related Art
Most of the conditioning compositions used for the pretreatment and bleaching of natural fibers, for example cotton, or blends of natural and/or synthetic fibers, for example cotton/polyester or cotton/polyamide, including mercerizing liquors, kier boiling liquors, detergents and bleaches, require the addition of wetting agents to establish relatively rapid and intimate contact between the treatment composition and the textile fabrics. Wetting agents suitable for alkaline conditioning compositions of the type in question must be soluble in water and stable to alkalis and must guarantee uniform wetting of the material. In addition, wetting agents of the type in question must be "environment-friendly", i.e. biodegradable and non-toxic to aquatic organisms.
Since the pretreatment and bleaching of textile fabrics is carried out in high-speed continuous or discontinuous machines, unwanted foaming readily occurs. To avoid this, alkali-stable foam inhibitors, for example silicones, are normally added to the conditioning compositions. However, the use of foam inhibitors not only involves additional costs, but it is often also accompanied by unwanted side effects, for example uneven wetting of the textile fabric and, in the case of silicone-containing foam inhibitors, silicone oil stains which are difficult to remove.